U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado speaks during a town hall at Colorado Mesa University’s Asteria Theater in Grand Junction on Wednesday. (Sharon Sullivan for Colorado Newsline)
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado held a town hall meeting Wednesday in Grand Junction, where he fielded questions regarding education, potential changes in voter registration, the wrongful deportation and imprisonment of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, and what Democrats in power are doing to rein in President Donald Trump.
Approximately 850 people registered for the event, according to Bennet’s deputy communications director Eric Jones. The event took place at Colorado Mesa University’s Asteria Theater.
Earlier this month the Democratic senator declared his candidacy for Colorado governor — which means there will be a primary race between Bennet and another prominent Democrat, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, for the party’s nomination. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who has served as governor since 2019, is term-limited. Weiser announced his candidacy in January and is currently serving his second term as attorney general.
Though personable and humorous at times, Bennet did not give direct answers to many of the audience questions, which were selected via “raffle tickets” offered to attendees as they entered the theater.
One woman expressed concern about funding for public schools — which is a top issue for Bennet, the former superintendent of Denver Public Schools. He circled back to the topic of education several times during the one-hour town hall. Bennet said there needs to be a serious conversation about improving teacher salaries, how the state Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights operates, and funding for both K-12 education and health care in the state.
“I think (education) is the most important issue we are facing,” he said.
Another woman told Bennet how she was “petrified” that the SAVE Act could take away a women’s right to vote. The U.S. House of Representatives this month passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Opponents of the bill say it would make it difficult to vote for women who have changed their name after marriage.
Women won the right to vote in 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The women fighting for that right never gave up, Bennet said.
“We have to keep (the suffrage movement) in our minds and be inspired by it,” Bennet said.
Another person asked if the money spent on housing prisoners in El Salvador was approved by Congress, to which Bennet responded, “No, to my knowledge Congress has not authorized money.” The Trump administration is paying El Salvador to incarcerate prisoners like Abrego Garcia and Trump has suggested “homegrown” American citizens could be sent there, too.
One man, who addressed the senator as “Governor Bennet” — eliciting a smattering of cheers and applause — asked Bennet why he is running for governor.
“Like everybody else I am searching my conscience … and thinking about where I can make the biggest difference,” Bennet said.
Bennet was also asked why Democrats have not been able to fight the Trump agenda.
Bennet responded that while there are many things he blames Trump for, getting elected is not one of them. He said he is frustrated with the Democratic Party for not articulating a compelling vision of what it stands for. Democrats failed to build a coalition that could win in November, he said. Plus, Trump tapped into Americans’ frustration regarding the economy.
Rose Ericson, of Grand Junction, is a Republican who attended the town hall on Wednesday. She told Newsline that she was there because many people feel the Democrats are not doing enough to hold Trump accountable and that the U.S. Congress has the “purse strings” and has given away its control. Ericson did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020.
“They’ve thrown away the checks and balances that were built into the Constitution, and it’s appalling,” she said.
Some in the audience mentioned fears about Social Security, including the possible closure of the agency’s offices and loss of the ability to communicate with a live person. Bennet said he’s all for reforming the government, but sending Elon Musk and his young staff to do it is probably not a good idea. Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency has interfered with government agencies including the Social Security Administration, threatening its operations through cuts to the workforce and offices across the country.
Another person, who works in the trucking industry and is often at truck stops, asked Bennet how to combat what he characterized as lies put out by Fox News, to which Bennet responded that dealing with propaganda is a “big worry” — and not just from domestic sources, but also from China and Russia.
Another woman told Bennet the “authoritarian” Trump administration is a “nightmare” and asked why Democrats aren’t doing more to stop the president. She also wanted to know what Bennet and other Democrats are doing to bring Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador. The Trump administration has admitted it made an administrative error when it deported Abrego Garcia, but thus far it has ignored a court order to facilitate his return.
Bennet agreed Abrego Garcia should be returned to the United States. He said he personally doesn’t have the power to bring him back home but that Trump should obey the court ruling.
Bennet told attendees to resist, to push back against threats to democracy, which prompted one person to respond that people can only push back so much and that “we need to know how you Dems are pushing back. What is going on?”
Bennet replied, “First of all, any ideas you have I’ll take. But we have pushed back. Can I do a better job? I’m sure of that. We all bear a responsibility.”
As Bennet was leaving the stage, shaking hands, greeting constituents, a reporter asked why he voted to confirm Doug Burgum as secretary of Interior.
Burgum issued an order last week that overhauls the organization of the Interior Department, turning over decision-making authority to a DOGE staff member.
Bennet said he voted for Burgum, former governor of North Dakota, because he was a successful Western governor and businessman.
“We had a conversation about public lands in Colorado. I thought it was important to have with a few of these nominees a connection with Colorado. There’s a handful I voted for because I think in the long term they’ll be good for Colorado,” Bennet said.
Both U.S. senators from Colorado — Bennet and Democrat John Hickenlooper — have disappointed some progressives for their votes in favor of confirming some of Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Colorado Newsline reached out to Weiser for comment regarding his own bid for governor of Colorado.
“For the past eight years, I’ve spent every day fighting for Coloradans and our way of life,” Weiser said in an email to Newline. “Senator Bennet has been in Washington on the front lines, which is where we need him to be, especially now. But I continue to be alarmed at Trump’s cabinet choices — including those whom Bennet voted for. Doug Burgum, for instance, has said out loud his plans to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder. Now is not the time for ‘picking our battles’ when it comes to Trump’s all-out assault on our country and our Constitution.”
Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com.